Ruins of the Battle
by msashlyjudd8
Summary: Chrissie spilled the beans to the whole pub. What if Aaron decided to skip town to avoid dealing with the repercussions of the affair? And, what if Robert catches Aaron leaving and decides to go with him?


Authors Note: This takes place directly after the July 24th episode. Chrissie has spilled the beans to the whole pub, about Rob and Aaron. This is where we start here. This is what I wish had happened with Robron.

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When it came right down to it, the decision was easy. Paddy was angry with him. His mother never did say much, but the look of pity was enough to make Aaron feel sick. Adam, his best mate, wasn't answering his calls, and when he asked Victoria why; She explained that Adam wanted to stay out of all the drama. He, Adam, didn't want to have to choose between his brother-in-law, and his best mate, so he chose to wash his hands of everything and bury his head in the sand. Robert, after being thrown out of Andy's house came crawling back to the pub, where Diane waited on him hand and foot.

Aaron couldn't stand to be in the pub. The whole Village was slowly hearing about the Affair that ruined Chrissie White's marriage. Aaron could tell that everyone blamed him. The whispers and looks directed his way were enough to have Aaron running to his room. He closed and locked the door, an then he lay on his bed fully clothed. Aaron would always be that little thug the caused havoc in the village all those years ago. In the eyes of the Village, Aaron would always be the person who put a glass of poison to his boyfriends lips an helped him kill himself. It didn't matter that Aaron had grown and matured. It didn't matter that he now owned half a scrap yard.

Aaron lay in his bed for hours. He went over and over in his mind, trying to figure out where his life had gone off the rails. All answers led back to Robert. He wasn't naive enough to blame the whole affair on Robert though. It was true that Robert made the first move, but if Aaron were being truthful, he had been attracted. Robert was tall and blond, with beautiful blue eyes. He was everything that Aaron wanted, and everything he knew he couldn't have. And then suddenly Robert was kissing him and the affair had began. If Aaron had known then, that this is how things would play out, he would run as far and as fast as he could.

When Aaron opened his tear swollen eyes, the room was dark. Evening had fallen over the Village finally. He wondered briefly how many people were down in the pub, trying to get their share of gossip. The thought of facing it day in and day out made Aaron's stomach sink with dread. Robert would always be the rich married man who went slumming with the local mechanic. Aaron would always be the bum who went after the married man, and destroyed Chrissie Sugden's marriage.

It was too much.

That was when the plan formed in Aaron's mind. He would wait until the Pub closed and everyone had gone to bed. He would pack the few belongings he had into his duffel bag, he would leave a note for his mum, and Paddy. He would make one stop at the scrap yard, and then he would get as far away from the Village as he could. The affair would eventually blow over, but until that day, Aaron couldn't be anywhere near there.

Aaron picked up his phone to check the time. It was just gone 10:30. The Pub closed at 1am, so Aaron had a few hours to get his things together. First things first though, he wanted to take a nice long shower. Who knew when he would have the luxury again. He had a little money that he could access through the cash machine, and the 5,000 pounds from Lawrence was in the safe in the Porto-cabin. He would take a couple hundred pounds, and leave the rest for Adam.

Once back in his room, Aaron locked the door and then pulled on a pair of old jeans and his favorite black T-shirt and black hoodie. If he was going to run away like a coward, at least he would be comfortable. The duffel bag that he had used to move back from France, still sat at the back of his closet. He pulled it out and opened it at the foot of his bed. The top two drawers went in the bag first; His socks an underwear. Then the two other pairs of jeans that he owned. Four black and three white t shirts. Four nice sweaters and two dress slacks. He left the ties and cuff links. In the closet three black, one white and one red hoodie went into the bag. Next to his bed, Aaron took two journals from the drawer and threw them into the bag. Therapy had taught him to write down his problems, and it would help him deal with them. Aaron took his bottle of lube and the new box of Condoms he bought the day he and Robert hooked up again in the Porto-cabin, adding them all to his duffel bag.

Aaron's shaving kit from the bathroom was added to the bag and then it was closed. He pulled it off the bed and leaned the bag against the wall by the door and then sat back down on his bed. It was just passed midnight so he had at least a couple more hours before he could sneak out the back door of the pub. Aaron double checked that he had his passport and keys, and then he sat down to write a note for his mother.

 _Dear Mum,_

 _If You've found this letter, that means you've come looking for me. I don't want you to worry about me, mum. I couldn't sit here and watch as one by one everyone in the village found out my dirty little secret. Found out that I was Robert's dirty little secret for almost a year. I need to get away for a while, mum. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you, or say goodbye, but I remembered the last time I said goodbye to you, and I don't think I could handle that again. I need you to know that, I love you. And, I'm sorry that it is hard for me to open up sometimes, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you, or that I don't trust you. It just means that I didn't want to disappoint you again. You and Paddy are the only parents I have ever known, and I hate hurting you, or seeing the disappointment in Paddy's eyes._

 _I broke all the promises I made to myself when I came back from France. I was going to be better. I was going to stay out of trouble, and keep my head down. I was going to prove to myself and everyone else that I wasn't just another scaly. So much has happened in the last year, some of which you will never know. The worst part is the people who got hurt because of my actions. Chrissie didn't deserve anything that happened to her. She can't help that she fell for a cheating bastard. Katy didn't deserve the bad wrap she got, just because she was too close to the truth. And probably the worst part...Paddy got hurt because of me._

 _Please mum, you have to make sure that Paddy knows how much I love him. He's my dad. By blood or not, he is the only father I have ever had. Last time I talked to him, he was really angry with me, and I deserved it. Please tell him that I am so sorry for what happened. I'm sorry that he didn't feel safe in his own home. I'm sorry that my actions caused him to get hurt. Twice. I'm sorry that I couldn't be a better son. I'm sure Leo won't give him half as much grief as I did._

 _I can't say for sure where I will end up, but eventually I hope to make my way back to France. I know I can find work there and I have enough money saved to find a small flat. I know you will worry about me no matter what, but please try and stay calm, mum. I will call you when I settle somewhere._

 _I love you._

 _Aaron_

The page was stained with Aaron's tears, as he folded the paper and put it inside a white envelope. He stood from the bed and turned to lay the envelope on his pillow. Aaron took one last look around his room, and wiped beneath both of his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. He slipped his wallet and keys into his pocket and picked up his duffel bag. It was well after 1 A.M. And everyone should be in bed. He very gently turned the handle and pulled the door open. The hall was almost pitch black, and so he stepped out of his room and closed the door. Aaron almost tiptoed to the stairs and very slowly took one stair at a time until he got to the bottom. When he reached the back door, Aaron stopped long enough to slip on his black jacket, and then he turned for the back door...

"Why am I not surprised?" Aaron froze. "You drop the big secret and then you skip town to avoid the consequences. You're a lot of things Aaron, but I never pegged you for a coward."

Aaron turned slowly on the heel of his black boots, to see Robert in the doorway to the living room. He wore a black dressing gown and black silk pajama pants.

"Nothing left for me here, is there? Adam won't choose between his wife and his best mate, so that's him out. Paddy hates me because I hurt your wife's feelings. My mom hasn't said two words to me since Chrissie put on that show in the pub. And that was just the people in the Pub. What happens when the rest of the Village learns the big bad secret?"

Robert looked down at the glass of water in his hand, and then back up to Aaron.

"You...You can't just leave, Aaron. You can't just leave me to deal with the consequences, you were apart of this affair too. You hurt just as many people as I did."

Aaron rolled his eyes, not willing to get into the whole killing Katy argument.

"Aaron, I know you're angry with me for what I did, but I've lost everything. I've lost you, I lost my wife. I lost my brother, I lost Victoria's trust and I'm sure if Diane didn't feel so obligated, she would kick me out as well. I have nothing left."

"Yeah, and who's fault is that?" Aaron demanded in an angry whisper. "You really expect me to feel sorry for you, after you left me tied to a radiator the whole night and then held a gun on me?"

Robert shook his head. "No, I don't expect you to feel sorry for me. I was just hoping that you would understand. I was scared and I panicked. I know it's not an excuse, but it's all I have."

Aaron was getting frustrated. He didn't have time to stand here and argue with Robert all night. He needed to get on the road, before his mother woke up and talked him into staying.

"None of this matters anymore, Robert. The whole village will have heard by tomorrow morning. The question is...what do you want? Because from where I stand, you have two options. You can stay here and live in the pub, and face the whispers and dirty looks from the whole village. You can stay here and wait for whatever revenge that Chrissie and her old man have in store for you, or you can go up stairs and get your things and we can disappear. Just drive until we have to stop, and screw what anyone has to say about it, because we will already by gone before anyone even knows about it."

Robert's face was the epitome of shock. Aaron had just asked him to run away with him, and they didn't even have a huge cheque to fall back on. When Robert didn't answer right away, Aaron turned for the door again, and flung the strap to his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"You got ten minutes to decide. Either way, I'm leaving. I'll be in the car."

Aaron opened the door gently and stepped outside, closing the door behind himself. His adrenalin was kicking in, and as he made his way to his car, his heart thundered in his chest. His hand shook as he unlocked the door and climbed into the car. He shoved his duffel back over his shoulder, into the back seat in-case Robert decided to show.

Nine minutes and thirty two seconds later Robert opened the door and slid into the car beside Aaron. Their eyes met, and even though they were both angry and hurt, they smiled. Aaron started the car and pulled away from the pub, probably for the last time. He would miss his mum and Paddy, but it was time that he stood on his own two feet.

On the way out of town Aaron stopped at the scrap yard. He had cashed the cheque from Lawrence and put the money in the safe in the Porto-cabin. Aaron took 1,000 pounds, and left the rest for Adam. He also pulled his half of the ownership agreement and signed it over to Adam. He left it and a note for Adam on his desk.

 _Adam,_

 _The scrapyard is officially yours, mate. I signed my half of the scrapyard over to you. You have a new wife and a baby on the way, you are going to need it. I needed a little cash to keep me going for a bit, but the rest of Lawrence's money is in the safe. I don't know if you will get this before or after my mum discovers that I am gone, but please try and keep her calm. Let her know that I needed to get away. I will be in touch as soon as I am settled somewhere. I'll be fine, Adam. I promise._

 _Oh, and...If people have found out that I am gone, they probably also noticed that Robert is gone as well. I promise you, it wasn't planned. He found me sneaking out of the pub, and then I realized that we are practically in the same boat. Pariah's of the village. And so we decided to leave together. You of all people should know that, if you love someone nothing and nobody is going to stand in the way. I may not like Robert right now, but I can't help that I have fallen in love with him. And, he loves me too, Adam. Who knows, it just might work out for us._

 _Thanks for being my best mate. Give my love to Vic._

 _Aaron._

As Aaron locked the Porto-cabin doors, the sky was just beginning to lighten over the horizon. It would be day light soon and everyone would know what they had done. They needed to get on the road as soon as possible. Aaron slid back into the drivers seat and found that Robert had fallen asleep against the passenger window. Aaron smiled and started the car.

Their journey was just beginning. Who knows what the future held. Aaron took a deep cleansing breath. The air was cold and crisp as he pulled out of the scrap yard. Instead of heading back toward the village, Aaron turned and headed south.

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End Note: The next chapter will be the village's reaction.


End file.
